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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mark — a trace
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mark — a grade
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. roll — a list
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — of your body
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fork — in a road
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com